Burial unit



C. E. RAPER Dec. 21, 1954 BURIAL UNIT Original Filed July 23. 1948 .2 7 2 J 0 3/ /25 w i a I 4 h w 2 v 2 INVENTOR. CHARLES E. RAPER United States Patent BURIAL UNIT Charles E. Raper, Virginia City, Mont.

Substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 40,379,

July 23, 1948. This application January 29, 1954, Serial No. 406,924

3 Claims. (Cl. 27-6) This invention relates to caskets and outer covers therefor, and particularly to a combined casket and outer cover together forming a burial unit.

The main object of my invention is to provide a special casket combined with a distinct outer casing or cover adapted to be secured thereto.

Another object is to provide a burial casket which may be at least largely of wood or the like with a metal cover or casing and a metal bottom common to both casket and cover.

A further object is to have a casket provided with a bottom flange for receiving a metal cover in such fashion that the bottom of the casket also forms the bottom of the cover.

It is also an object to provide a metal casket having a bottom, a flange extending integrally about the bottom and a metal cover fitting outside the casket upon the flange and having the bottom in common with the casket, while the interfitting of the cover with the flange serves to seal the casket within.

A practical object is to provide such a combined casket and cover which may be manufactured and sold at a lower figure than would a separate casket and a metal casing of equivalent elfectiveness.

It is even an object of the invention to have a combined casket and cover which allows the casket and the cover both to be made in a form which follows the same general design so that both may be made ornamental and attractive to a similar degree.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in further detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invent-ion for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a casket with a special cover or casing therefor made according to the invention and embodying the same in a practical form, the casing or covering being shown in section in order to disclose details of a casket within;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on line 22 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 :is a similar section illustrating a modification.

In the views the same reference numerals indicate the same parts.

The undertaking art, which is obviously old, well recognizes that various destructive elements are present in the ground, tending to destroy buried caskets and are aware that serious destruction of the latter is frequently caused by cover rodents, and outer agencies that all too readily penetrate the cover and even the sides of a wood casket after interment. Such results occur when caskets are completely enclosed in protective outer boxes or casings of wood, and in order to prevent such difficulties, burial vaults are frequently resorted to at considerable expense, but this places such expedients out of reach of the average purse and among the unobtainable luxuries.

After duly considering this problem it has occurred to me that means should be available for protecting a casket without the necessity of providing a complete outer metal casing or vault, and as a result, I have succeeded in evolving a combined casket and outer cover or casing as will now be set forth in detail.

Hence, in the practise of my invention, and referring to the drawing, a casket, generally indicated at 4, pri marily includes the side and end walls 5, 5, 6, 6 which Patented Dec. 21, 1954 may be of wood, the rear wall 6 having a hinge 7 by which a cover 8 is connected thereto, the casket and its cover being thus far more or less conventional in construction.

A metal bottom 9 has upwardly projecting side and end walls 10, 10, 11 which are rather short and at the upper ends thereof project inwardly in the form of horizontal flanges or shoulders 12, 12 from which inner upwardly projecting walls 13, 13, 14 extend 'a short distance upwardly tmmediately within the casket walls 5, 5, 6, 6, and screwed to the latter by means of screws 15, 15 etc. The arrangement is such that the end walls 5, 5 and the side walls 6, 6 fit outside of the inner walls 13, 13, 14, etc., and rest upon the shoulders 12, 12, the casket walls being provided with the more or less conventional handles 16, 16 in known manner, while the interior of the casket may be furnished to suit the taste of the manufacturer.

Continuous with the bottom 9 is an outer flange 17, 17 which is arched upwardly to form a trough 18 about the side and end walls 10, 10, 11, etc. Exteriorly of the casket and the lower outer walls 10, 10, 11, 11 is placed an outer cover or casing generally indicated at 19 having the top 20 overlying the cover 8 of the casket 4 and the side walls 21, 21 and end walls 22, 22 integral with the top 20 and fitting into the trough 18 formed by flange 17 entirely around the lower walls 10, 10, 11, 11, of the casket. Outer handles 23, 23 are provided upon the outer casing or cover 19 to resemble those shown at 16, 16 upon the casket within and generally the design, or at least the appearance of the outer casing 19 may have a similar finish to that of the casket covered thereby. it is readily seen that when the outer casing 19 is absent and the cover 8 of the casket open, the lower flange 17 is quite unobtrusive and merely appears as an extra feature of the casket itself, which is also true of the lower walls 10, 10 and 11, 11 which give the impression of a massive base with the shoulders 12, 12. When the cover 8 is closed, the outer casing 19 is simply lowered upon the casket so that the walls 21, 21 and 22, 22 fit outside the base walls 10, 10, 11, 11 and rest in the trough 18 in the flange portions 17, 17 and may be sealed in place, if so desired.

In Figure 3 is shown a modification in which the casket walls 24 are integral with the bottom 25, the walls and bottom being preferably of metal, while a cover 26 is hinged at 27 to one of the walls 24 and is likewise of similar material to that of the walls and bottom. The latter is extended about its periphery to form a flange 28, 28. The outer extremity of the flange 28 is slightly upturned to provide a relatively wide trough 29 exteriorly of the lower portions of the bounding walls 24 of the casket. In addition, the walls 24, 24 are provided with recessed portions 30, 30 to accommodate the handles 31, 31 within the outline of the casket in order to eliminate any projections beyond the walls or any portion of the exterior of the casket so that a cover or casing may he slipped outside the latter without danger of coming into contact with the handles, for example.

As already described in connection with Figures 1 and 2, the casket is provided with an outer casing or cover, generally indicated at 32, consisting of the top 33 overlying the cover 26 of the casket and the bounding walls 34, 34 integral with the top 33 and forming a cover or casing which fits down into the trough 29 of the flange 28 about the entire periphery of the common bottom 25. The casket cover or casing 33 is preferably of metal or metal construction, and the junction between the walls 34 thereof with the flange 28 may be sealed by any known means, if desired, but in any event, it is self evident that when the casing 33 is in place outside the casket and rests in trough 29 of flange 28, there is no access to the interior for rodents or other destructive agencies into the casket.

It has already been mentioned that the bottom, as well as the flange thereof and at least the lower portions of the bounding walls of the casket are integral and made of metal, but this may be modified to the extent of using plastics or other suitable materials which resist decay in the ground, and the same is true of the 3 casing or outer cover that fits in the trough formed by the outer flange-upon the bottom i-n-eachcase.

This is a substitute of my application Serial No. 40,379 filed July 23, 1948, now abandoned.

What is. claimed is:

1. A burialtunit, including; a connected: group ofsupwardly: projecting.bounding-walla. a bottom integral. with the bounding walls and forming at least the: lower portion of a casket therewith, casket wall. portions sup-, ported upon. portions of said bounding walls and disposed witlrin the outline of the latter, a casket. cover hingedly: supported. upon one of the casket wall portions,. a. plurality of handles fixed. externally to" the casket wall portions within. the-outlinev of thebound ing walls, an outwardly; projectingflange at the. lower edges of said bounding walls. integral. with said bottom andforming a continuous trough. about saidb'ounding walls, and an: outer cover. casing including. a top overlying; said casket coverand continuous external bounding, wallszdepending integrally from the top down into. the: trough upon said flange, said upwardly projecting bounding walls comprising, vertically disposed surfaces engaged in face adjacency withthe inner surfaces of the depending walls of said casing, and said flange being, arched upwardly from. said vertically: disposed sur faces whereby the depending; walls of the casing. are urged-.' inwardly into saidface adjacency with the upwardly projecting bounding, wallsasthe edge: portions ofthecasinguarewedged. into said groove'by the weight of the casing, supportedtherein.

2. A burial unit, including a connected group'of upwardly projectingrlow bounding walls, a: bottom integral with thelatter and forming thelower portion of. atcasket therewith,.inwardlydirected flanges upon the bounding wallsforming substantially horizontal shoulders thereon, further bounding walls projecting a limited distance integrally upward from the inner edgesof the horizontal shoulders, casket walls= projecting. upwardly from the latter shoulders about and secured to the further boundingwalls, a casket cover hinged to one of the casket walls, handles fixed externally upon the: latter, a continuousflange integral with the bottom and projecting outwardly from: the lower edge-of the first. mentioned low bounding walls and forming a continuous shallow trough about the latter, and anouter cover casing including a top overlying said casket cover and continuous external bounding walls depending integrally from the top down into the trough upon said flange, said upwardly projecting bounding walls comprising vertically disposed surfaces engaged in. face adjacency with the inner surfaces of the depending walls of said casing, and said flange being arched upwardly from said vertically disposed surfaces whereby the depending walls of the cas ing are urged inwardly into said face adjacency with the upwardly projecting bounding walls as the edge portionsof the casing are wedged into said groove by the weight of the casing supported therein.

3. A burial unit, including a connected group of upwardly projecting-bounding. walls,,a bottom integral with the bounding walls and forming a casket therewith, handles upon two of said bounding walls, a casket cover hinged to one of the latter, an outwardly projecting continuous.- flange integral. with the bottom at the lower edges of said boundingwalls and forming a continuous trough about the latter, and an outer cover casing including, a top; overlying saidcasket cover and continuous external bounding walls depending integrally from. the top down into the trough. upon said flange, said upwardly projecting: bounding walls comprising vertically disposed surfaces engaged in face adjacency with the inner surfaces of the depending walls of said casing, andsaid flange being. arched upwardly from said vertically disposed surfaces whereby. the depending walls of the casing are urged inwardly into said face adjacency with the upwardly projecting bounding walls as the edge portions of the casing are wedged into said groove by the weight ofv the casing .supported' therein.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 219,827 Rawson Sept. 23, 1879 1,674,898 Grove r June 26, 1928 1,958,504 Zeller May 15, 1934 2,406,522 Woody Aug. 27, 1946 

